The Croatoan Virus
by meandacat
Summary: Sam and Dean were never the vessels for Lucifer and Micheal, they were normal people living normal lives when a uncontrollable virus started spreading through the USA. Building a camp with their loved ones, they survive until the last dredges of humankind is left, and plan to destroy the last of the Croats.


The Croatoan Virus

The date is July 18th, 2014. Dean has been in in one of his dark mood again. There is fear around the camp that his plan won't work. He's been drinking all the cheap whiskey we can find, I haven't seen him skulking around in a while, so he either passed out somewhere or Cas finally found him.

Castiel has been worried about him. Ever since he had the idea to wipe out the city, Dean's been muttering to himself. Cas has given him everything he can, he's killed for Dean, and he's fallen in love with him. Cas is and will always be, Dean's best friend. It hurts Cas to see Dean trying to drink himself into oblivion.

The Croatoan Virus, once upon a time, was to be used to medicinal purposes. Unfortunately, when it was tested on humans, it didn't mix to well with our red blood cells, and turned the test subjects into murderous extra fast, strong and smart, zombies. They broke out of the lab and started eating and infecting people, it spread like wildfire. Half of the USA was infected and/or dead when the first week went by. Generally, if you get bit, you either turn immediately, but two out of every three people infected take a couple of days, it just depends on how strong your body is at fighting infections.

The government tried to stop it by quarantining cities, no on in, no one out, except soldiers. Stopping air travel and similar things next on the list, some people went so far as to burn down airports. They cut off bridges and flooded certain roads and areas, the only ways out are heavily guarded by the remaining army. It was cruel, but I supposed it worked; only about fifty big cities are still infected. But most of the country is dead, little pockets like ours got caught on the outskirts of towns and cities, basically the badlands, you never know if there are infected still around. They had the great idea of putting up a fence around large areas of people, hopefully to let them run themselves out and perish, but the infected don't die if know living human is around they just go comatose, clearing the streets and lying in wait until an unsuspecting human runs down the road.

Things were working around here, our small camp; at least as much as you can when everyday you're fighting for your life.

Then Sam disappeared.

Dean was heartbroken; his brother had had enough of being sitting ducks, and hiding. He walked into the city and we haven't seen him since. Sam and I had made a pact a few weeks before, he said to me, "Chuck, if I walk into the city, don't try to stop me, don't tell Dean. And if you happen to walk before I do, I won't tell Becky I saw you." I didn't see him go, but I'm sure we'll never see him again. Most of us saw it coming a mile away, but it hit Dean like a brick wall.

Cas tried to help Dean, but there's only so much someone can do when the person you're trying desperately to help, doesn't respond to anything except when he runs out of alcohol.

We all miss Sam, he was second him command, and far more of a people person than Dean is. When Jessica got infected, Sam was the one to kill her, staying by her side until she turned. It took five days. Sam never was the same after that. He picked up some of Dean unsavory habits of drinking all day and fighting sleep at all costs. The reason he might have walked into a war zone, is because he was too proud to pull the trigger himself.

Becky and I met before the infection was created; it was at a convention in Seattle. It was a wonderful weekend, one of the last happy ones. When I finally introduced Becky to Sam, Jess, Cas, and Dean, they thought she was a little weird, but perfect for me.

Sam had just gotten married to Jessica, and they were attached at the hip. It was wonderful to see him happy at last. Dean was the one to introduce them, and then later the same day, he met Cas at his favorite coffee shop. It was so normal, but they are two of a kind. Soul mates and all that crap.

It seemed way too short a time that we all had together when we heard about a mysterious disease off the coast of New York. When it got to Kansas, Dean had just proposed to Cas.

When it hit, there was no stopping, it was pack what you can and get out. We couldn't get far though; the army had been tracking the virus, and had gotten there ahead of us, destroying the roads in an attempt to contain the spread.

Sam had the good idea to take Jessica's Jeep, and took off down the side of the road into the forest border, Dean trailed behind him in the Impala, and Becky and I followed him with our little Prius. Sam knew about a little forgotten campground about thirty miles off the trail that bear scouts used to go too. When we got there, Cas brought out some blankets that he had had the good thought to bring.

Over the next few weeks, about twenty five other people found and joined our little camp. Those with radios that were still working helped to guide more people here, eventually Ellen and her daughter Jo reached us, bringing Bobby and Judy. Castiel's brother made his way and Garth trekked through the bush with an eighty pound hiking backpack attached to him. He had some good supplies.

Eventually some infected found us, following the scent of human flesh, but we were heavily armed and waiting for them. It's a good thing that Jo brought her knife collection though; she saved my butt a couple of times. It was at that point Bobby's idea to put up a fence, I don't know why we didn't do it before, perhaps we were clinging to the idea that we had beaten the virus, or that we were just camping. Of course, it's hard to forget what was happening when you could see the zombies border the thing that was protecting you.

The sunrise was beautiful today, the day where everything could go wrong. About two weeks ago on a supply run, Dan and I found a forgotten army tank, probably left there because it was a spot in the road where the fence to the city was broken, and allowing the fever crazed people out if they found it. The tank was filled to the brim with explosives; it would get about half the city, maybe, if I was counting the C4 correctly.

That was the day that Dean changed; he had found a way to take out the Croats who had taken his brother from him.

I know Cas doesn't like the new Dean, with his renewed alcoholism, but Cas takes it anyways. He could never say no to Dean, but I guess that better than sitting here waiting for the mushroom cloud.

We go in tonight, most of the camp members are going, but I'm staying behind to take care of the few children and Sam's dog. The plan is a suicide mission; one of us will drive down the deserted roads into the city center, where Gabriel and Bobby set up the bombs a few days ago. I know at least one of us isn't coming back tonight. Dean thinks he deserves to be the one to detonate it, but Cas finally put his foot down. Garth volunteered.

**July 19****th****, 2014**

The plan didn't work, we lost eight people. Dean was one of them, Ellen told me that he hadn't been watching his back for a moment, and one snuck up on him. The bite was so bad, he turned immediately. He didn't even get a proper goodbye to Cas.

The remaining people crawled back into camp around four in the morning; Castiel had no life left in his eyes. He hugged Gabriel, Ellen and Bobby and walked into his cabin. I went to check on him a little while later, and as I was reaching for the door handle, I heard a gunshot come from inside. He had lost so much, and it finally broke him losing Dean.

I guess the Croats are going to win after all.


End file.
